Kevin Garcia Another Success Story After Signing With IFK Luleå

Posted on August 10, 2013

For young American soccer players looking to play professionally, options in the United States are substantially limited. Although college soccer offers plenty of Americans a great opportunity to get a higher education and continue playing the game, there are very few professional soccer clubs and the salaries and potential to move on to higher leagues is very restricted. Save for the MLS and NASL, most American soccer players find their careers halted upon graduation. But for Kevin Garcia, an opportunity abroad has provided a chance to build up a career playing soccer professionally in Sweden.

After impressing European scouts at an AX Soccer Tours Pro Soccer Combine in New York, Kevin Garcia was invited out to Sweden on a trial with IFK Luleå of Sweden’s Division 1 Norra. After a successful stint at the club, Garcia has now been signed and will begin his professional career in Europe.

This is a wonderful result for the player that had been cast off by the New England Revolution of the MLS last year. After a standout career at Villanova University, where he was a four year starter, Garcia was drafted in the MLS supplemental draft but was not signed by the club.

At IFK Luleå, the physically imposing center back looks to be given a legitimate chance at earning some serious minutes right away as Luleå looks to push for promotion into the Superettan.

“Kevin is a player who has proven that he can play at a very high level in Sweden and we look forward to seeing how far his career can go here in Europe.”